The Mohali Consumer Commission has held Kharar-based S K Hospital and Diagnostic Centre, and surgeon Dr Gunraj guilty after a cotton gauze piece was allegedly left inside a woman’s abdomen during a uterus surgery, leading to severe infection and a second operation in which nearly 2.5 feet of her intestine had to be removed.
The court of Consumer Commission President Kuljeet Pal Singh ordered the hospital and the doctor to jointly pay the victim Rs 9.25 lakh towards medical expenses, Rs 10 lakh as compensation for mental agony and Rs 25,000 towards litigation costs — taking the total compensation to Rs 19.50 lakh.
According to the complaint, Chanda (46), a resident of Kansal (Sonipat), had approached S K Hospital in Kharar after experiencing abdominal pain. She underwent surgery on September 16, 2020, performed by Dr Gunraj.
However, her condition allegedly worsened even after discharge and the pain persisted. Later, she returned to Sonipat and underwent another surgery at a different hospital on December 6, 2020.
During the second procedure, doctors allegedly found that a large cotton gauze was left inside her abdomen during the first surgery. The gauze had reportedly caused a severe infection, and doctors had to remove nearly 2.5 feet of her intestine to prevent the infection from spreading. She was also equipped with a stool bag for a period of time.
Hearing the matter, the Consumer Commission observed that leaving the cotton material inside a patient’s body during surgery amounted to serious medical negligence.
The commission directed the hospital and the doctor to reimburse Rs 9.25 lakh in medical expenses within 45 days, along with 9 per cent annual interest from December 1, 2020.
It also ruled that if the payment is not made within the stipulated period, the respondents will be liable to pay interest at 12 per cent per annum.